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Breed guide · Dogs
He burrows under every blanket in the house. I've given him one of his own.
Last updated 12 October 2026
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What they brought with them.
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At home
The door, the lift, the window: a bark far bigger than the dog behind it.
What's going onDachshunds had to bark underground so the hunter could find them. That is why the bark is so loud for their size. Reward quiet, and block the view that sets them off.
At home
Squaring up to a dog five times their size, and slow to warm to strangers.
What's going onThey were bred to face a badger alone. Many Dachshunds stand their ground with bigger dogs and with strangers. Let them choose when to say hello, and never push them into it.
At home
Burrowed into the bed, the cushions and the laundry, with just a nose showing.
What's going onThey burrow because they were bred to go to ground. Give them a blanket that is theirs, and the sofa cushions get a rest.
At home
On in one jump, off in another, a hundred times a day.
What's going onSlipped discs are the biggest health risk for a Dachshund, at every age. A leap off the sofa or the bed is exactly the kind of jolt to avoid. Steps or a ramp, from the first day.
At home
Their bowl finished in seconds, then a careful inspection of yours.
What's going onExtra weight is the biggest risk to their back that you can change. Weigh their food, count the treats, and feel for their ribs.
At home
Nose to the ground from the moment the lift doors open, and no idea what their name is.
What's going onThey were bred to follow a trail and not look up. Keep them on a lead anywhere that is not fenced, and train in short sessions paid with part of their dinner.
The bit nobody tells you.
Their ground
Built for: A German forest floor, nose down.
In Dubai: Marble floors and sofas.
Their work
Built for: Going down a tunnel to face a badger.
In Dubai: Bigger dogs and strangers, every day.
Their back
Built for: Crawling through tunnels.
In Dubai: Asked to jump.
The barking, the digging, the standoffs and their back mostly come from that gap.
You cannot give them a badger. You can protect their back and give their nose and their nerve a job, and the ten things below are how.
Your plan is built around their breed: the health risks for a Dachshund at every age, and the care that goes with each one.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Ten things that make their life better.
Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD, a slipped disc in the back) is the biggest health risk for a Dachshund, at every age.
Every age
Why
Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD, a slipped disc in the back) is the biggest health risk for a Dachshund, at every age.
What to do
Steps or ramps to the sofa and bed from day one, or no furniture at all. Carry them down stairs, one hand under the chest and one under the back end. Harness, not collar. If they yelp, will not move or wobble on their back legs, contact your vet now. Your plan includes a spinal evaluation (a back check) every year from age two to four.
Extra weight is the biggest risk to their back that you can change.
Every age, monthly weigh-ins from 4 years
Why
Extra weight is the biggest risk to their back that you can change.
What to do
Weigh their daily food on kitchen scales and take treats out of that amount. Use a bin with a lid they cannot open. You should feel their ribs easily. Tell anyone who feeds them: no extras. Monthly weigh-ins at the clinic are in your plan from age four.
Once their nose is down they follow it, and they are small enough for a driver to miss.
Every age
Why
Once their nose is down they follow it, and they are small enough for a driver to miss.
What to do
Keep them on a lead or a long line anywhere that is not fenced. Check the garden for gaps, including under the gate, because they dig. Before anyone opens the front door, make sure someone has hold of them. Microchipping is in your plan at their puppy visits. Keep the chip registered to your current phone number.
Searching and digging are what they were bred for. Without a place for them, they pick the sofa.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
Searching and digging are what they were bred for. Without a place for them, they pick the sofa.
What to do
Scatter part of their dinner in a snuffle mat or hide treats around the flat. Give them a blanket or a digging box that is theirs. Ten minutes of searching is worth a lot of walking.
Their long ears can hold in damp, and gradual loss of sight can begin as early as puppyhood.
Every age, eyes most of all up to 4 years
Why
Their long ears can hold in damp, and gradual loss of sight can begin as early as puppyhood.
What to do
Look and sniff inside their ear flaps once a week, and dry them after a bath. Notice if they start bumping into things in the dark, or stop wanting to go out at night.
Their belly is close to the hot pavement, and small dogs heat up fast.
Every age, most of all puppies
Why
Their belly is close to the hot pavement, and small dogs heat up fast.
What to do
From May to September, walk before sunrise and after dark. Put the back of your hand on the pavement for five seconds. If you cannot keep it there, they cannot walk on it. Carry water, and let them sniff and dawdle.
They attach hard to their own people, and a long day alone brings out the barking.
Every age, hardest from 6 months to 2 years
Why
They attach hard to their own people, and a long day alone brings out the barking.
What to do
If you are out for more than a few hours, arrange a visit or a walker. Leave them a stuffed chew and a blanket to burrow in. Keep leaving and coming home calm. If they are distressed when you leave, contact your vet rather than trying to fix it at home.
They were bred to stand their ground alone, so they may stand it against a bigger dog or a hand that grabs.
Every age
Why
They were bred to stand their ground alone, so they may stand it against a bigger dog or a hand that grabs.
What to do
Ask guests to ignore them and drop a treat. Keep greetings with big dogs short and on your terms. Watch for the stiff body and the hard stare, and move them away. Never punish a growl.
They will out-stubborn you if you try to force it, and they will work hard for food.
Every age, easiest started young
Why
They will out-stubborn you if you try to force it, and they will work hard for food.
What to do
Two or three five-minute sessions a day, paid with part of their dinner. Teach "quiet", "leave it" and a sit at the door. Handle their paws, ears and back end for a second at a time, then treat.
A small change in how they move is the first sign of trouble in their back.
Every age, most of all from 7 years
Why
A small change in how they move is the first sign of trouble in their back.
What to do
Once a week, run your hands along their back from neck to tail and watch for a flinch. Feel their ribs, look at their teeth, and watch how they get up and take a step. From 4 years, weigh them once a month, and film anything odd about how they walk to show your vet.
Four of these are in your plan. The rest you can do at home.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Their health, at every age.
How old are they?
Their age
the first six months
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
6 months to 2 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
2 to 4 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
4 to 7 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
7 to 10 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
10 years and over
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Breed predispositions indicate an increased risk rather than certainty of disease. What is right for them always comes from their own history and an evaluation.
Before they come home.
Sizes and coats
Dachshunds come in two sizes: standards weigh 7 to 14.5 kg, and miniatures 5 kg or less. Each comes in three coats, smooth, wire-haired and long-haired. Whatever the size or coat, their back needs the same care.
Colours
Dachshunds come in warm reds and creams, wheaten and wild boar, or black, chocolate, blue or fawn with tan or cream markings. Dapple, a marbled coat, is a much-loved pattern too.
The first six months
Their full vaccination course, microchip and Dubai Municipality registration come first. Start the habits that protect their back now: no jumping off furniture, and carry them down the stairs.
Puppy health, 0 to 6 months
Getting the flat ready
Put steps or a ramp up to the sofa and bed before they arrive, and rugs where they run on marble. Give them a blanket of their own to burrow into.
Ten things that make their life better
Before you commit
Ask the breeder whether either parent has had back trouble, and whether both parents are dapple. The Kennel Club does not register puppies from two dapple parents, because of the risk to their sight and hearing.
Before the clinics open
AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199. No payment now.
For a new puppy: First 30 days with a new puppy · Puppy vaccinations in the UAE · Heatstroke in dogs
When it is not behaviour.
They'll keep burrowing. If they stop climbing the steps to their blanket, or cry when you lift them, contact your vet now.
Before they were yours.
1700s to 1800s
"Dachs" is German for badger. German foresters bred these short-legged hounds to follow a badger into its tunnel, face it in the dark, and bark so the hunter could dig down to them.
What they still carryThe bark, the digging and the nerve.
1885 to 1888
The American Kennel Club recognised the Dachshund in 1885, and the German Dachshund Club was founded in 1888. The breed settled into standard and miniature sizes, with smooth, wire and long coats.
What they still carryThe Dachshund you know, in several sizes and coats.
The 20th century
The Dachshund became one of the best-known breeds in the world, kept for company, and many show lines grew longer and lower.
What they still carryA badger dog's nerve, bark and back, in a family home.
Today
In the UAE a Dachshund lives on marble floors, beside sofas they were never built to jump off.
What they still carryA body built to go underground, which is why their back comes first.
The ones you type at midnight.
If the Dachshund suits you, so might these.
BeagleThe same kind of scent hound, on longer legs, bred to hunt hare in packs.
Basset HoundAnother short-legged scent hound, heavier and calmer, with long ears to keep clean.
West Highland White TerrierThe same lively, vocal temperament and big personality, in a white terrier with a coat to brush.
English Cocker SpanielA similar size and family life, in a spaniel with a silky coat that needs more regular grooming.Guide coming soon
